Creating a New Hosted Application

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To add a Hosted Application use the following steps:

  1. In the Admin Console, expand the root node *<machineName>*in the left-hand tree pane.

  2. Click the Hosted Applications Node.

  3. Right-click the List View pane and click New then Hosted Application. The Add New Hosted Application Wizard appears.

  4. Click Next.

  5. The Add New Hosted Application Wizard (Step 1 of 3) screen will appear as shown below. The administrator can enter the general details of the new hosted application.

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  7. New Hosted App Wizard Screen 1

  9. Type the Name of the hosted application and select the Type of application from the drop-down list. The fields displayed in the hosted application properties window depend on the application type.

  10. Note

    Ensure that the hosted application’s name is unique in the list of hosted applications. If you add an application with an existing name, the Admin Console replaces the existing application bindings with the new application bindings; even if the application type is different. This displays errors when you try to build the application. In order to add an application with the name of an existing application, ensure you delete the previous application before adding the new application.

  11. Check the Requires Auto Sign-On check box to enable auto sign-on if desired.

  12. Check the Disable Application checkbox to prevent the application from being hosted. This is useful when debugging problems.

  13. Note

    Disabling an application keeps it from starting and removes it from any associated workflows. To re-enable the application, right-click the application in the list pane and click Properties to return to this dialog box and remove the check.

  14. Enter the XML Initialization String or click Build to build the initialization string. The Build Application Initialization String window will be displayed as shown. Depending on the type of application selected in Step 1 of this wizard, different fields will be active.

  15. The initialization string for Windows Controls is different than the other application types. For more information about windows controls initialization string, see Modifying the Windows Control Initialization String.

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  18. Build Application Initialization String Window

  19. The following table shows the various fields for an external application:

  20. Panel

    Field

    Description

    Application Hosting

    Use SetParent

    Select if you want to set the Agent Desktop as the parent of the application, in order to display the application inside the Agent Desktop.

    Select the Show Menu checkbox to display the application’s menu in the agent desktop. This only works for Win32 applications.

    While hosting .Net applications, ensure that you uncheck the Show Menu checkbox in order to display the menu.
     

    Use Dynamic Positioning

    Select to host the application inside the Agent Desktop, using the Dynamic Positioning method. Select Attach Input Thread if you want to attach the input queues of ID and the host application windows. When you attach the input queues, ID and the host applications share the UI state. Selecting the option add a tag <hostOnTop> to the <initstring> of the application binding.

    For more information, see Configuring Dynamic Positioning.

    While hosting Windows external applications in a WPF ID, it is recommended that you select Attach Input Thread. This improves the performance of the dynamically hosted windows external application.
     

    Main window acquisition timeout (ms)

    Enter the time, in milliseconds, that the search will continue.
     

    No Message Pump

    Select to disable message pumping for DOS applications.

    Alternate Top-Level Window

    None

    Select to use the default top-level window.
     

    Use VB6 Top-Level

    VB6 has its own caption and class structure. Selecting this option will pre-populate the Caption and Class boxes to comply with VB6.
     

    Use FindWindow

    Select to use FindWindow to set the top-level window. Enter the caption and class for the FindWindow.

    Application Isolation

    Isolation Level
    • Not Isolated – running within the default domain and process of the Agent Desktop
    • Application Domain – running in the same process as the Agent Desktop but on a separate thread, in a separate application domain
    • Process – running in its own, separate process, apart from the Agent Desktop. External applications are always run in Process Isolation.

    Select Limit to process to limit the search to the immediate process. If the result exists outside of the process it will not be returned.

  21. The following fields are displayed for a Web application:

  22. Field

    Description

    URL

    Enter the URL of the web application.

    Use Toolbar

    Select to add the CCF toolbar to the web application.

    Use new browser process

    Select to open the web application in a new browser process.

    Web Browser Hosting

    Select the hosting method for the web application. Ensure that the web application initialization string consists the appropriate binding tag, based on the web browser hosting method:

    • Host Outside: Select to host the web application (Internet Explorer window) outside the ID. The Host Outside method does not require a binding tag in the initialization string.
    • Use SetParent: Select to host the web application inside the ID. The initialization string (<initstring> tag) should consist the tag <hostInside />.
    • Use Dynamic Positioning: Select to use dynamic positioning to host the web application. For more information about Dynamic Position, see Configuring Dynamic Applications. The initialization string should consist the tag <hostOnTop />. Dynamic Positioning is available only in CCF 2009 SP1 QFE.

    The web application is hosted outside the ID, if no hosting tag is specified in the initialization string. The pre-configured web applications (applications configured prior to CCF 2009 SP1 QFE) are set to use the SetParent hosting method.

  24. The following fields are displayed for a Windows Control

    • URI: Enter the location of the control.
    • Type: Enter the type of the control.

  26. In the Adapter Configuration section, select Use no adapter if none is needed, Use automation adapter to use the built-in adapters, or Use adapter to use a preexisting adapter. If you select Use Adapter, you must enter the URI and Type of the existing adapter.

  27. To make an application global and available to all agents, check the Application is global checkbox in the General section. Global applications are always run. The Application is global checkbox is unchecked by default.

  28. The Dependent on workflow box must be checked if the global application is to be visible only when a workflow requires it. Dependent on workflow should be unchecked if the global application is to be independent of the workflow and is always visible.

  29. The Specify if the application is dynamic section allows any hosted app to be dynamic, which is initiated on demand. There are two parameters:

    • The Show in toolbar dropdown checkbox should be checked if the dynamic application is to be shown and can be launched via the CCF UI menu.
    • The User can close the application dynamically checkbox should be checked if the dynamic application is closable via the CCF UI or programmatically in code.

  31. For more information on Dynamic Hosted Applications, see Configuring Dynamic Applications.

  32. Enter the panel in which the application must be displayed in the Display Group field. By default, the application is displayed in the Main panel.

  33. Note

    You can set the Display Group as Floating, if you want the application to be displayed outside the ID. However, ensure that you select the hosting method as HostOutside if the Display Group is Floating; else ID displays an error.

  34. Enter the optimum and minimum sizes for the application window in the Optimum Size and Minimum Size fields. By default, the optimum and minimum size is set to 800 X 600 pixels.

  35. Click OK to continue.

  36. If, in the Add New Hosted Application Wizard window, the Requires Auto Sign-On is selected, clicking Next will display the Add New Hosted Application Wizard (Step 2 of 3) screen. Here the administrator can set the credentials that will be required for auto sign-on of hosted applications. Otherwise, the Add New Hosted Application Wizard (Step 3 of 3) screen will be displayed where the administrator can add the action to the hosted application.

  37. The action string for Windows Controls is different than the other application types. For more information about windows controls initialization string, see Modifying the Windows Control Action String.

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  40. New Hosted App Wizard Screen 2

  42. To add Credential Field information, click Add. The Credential Field window will be displayed as shown below.

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  44. Credential Field

  46. The Name field is used to store the label for the login control on the hosted application UI.

  47. The IdentifyUsing field stores the type of the attribute used to identify the login control on the hosted application UI. Its value can be ID, Name, or Value. This field will be enabled only when Web Application is selected as the application Type in step 1 of the wizard.

  48. The Value field stores the value of the attribute selected in the Identify Using field. This field will be enabled only when the application Type selected on step 1 of the wizard is Web Application.

  49. The Sequence field is used to store the sequence of the login control on the hosted application UI.

  50. The Action field holds the action to be performed on the login control. Its value can be Set or Click. Set will populate the value of text boxes and Click will simulate the control click event. Type the necessary information in the respective fields and click Save. Credential field information will be listed in the list view.

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  53. Populated Screen 2

  55. After the Credential Field information is completed and saved, the information appears in the list view as in the figure above. It can be edited or removed by clicking the appropriate Name row and then clicking either Edit or Remove. Click Add to add more information.

  56. Click Next. The Add New Hosted Application Wizard (Step 3 of 3) screen will be displayed as shown. The administrator can add an action to the hosted application.

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  58. New Hosted App Wizard Screen 3

  60. To add Action information, click Add. The Action window will be displayed as shown below.

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  62. Action Window

  64. Specify the Name of the Action and the Initialization String or click Build to build the initialization string for the action.

  65. The Build ActionInitialization String window will be displayed as shown below. Fill in the necessary information in the respective fields and click Apply to build the initialization string.

  66. Click OK to continue.

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  68. Build Action Initialization String

  70. The figure below shows an action and an initialization string that is a result of completing the step above. Click OK to complete the action.

  71. Note

    Error: Note format was corrupted. Title should be bold.

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  73. Action Window

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  76. Add New Hosted App Wizard Screen 3

  78. Click Finish to create a new hosted application.

The administrator can cancel the creation of the new hosted application at any time by clicking Cancel as shown in the figure above.